AUBURN, Ala. – Robby Ashford's career passing night helped Auburn build a 17-point lead but LSU forced three fourth-quarter turnovers to beat the Tigers 21-17 Saturday at sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"We had our opportunities. We've got to find ways to finish," Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. "It comes down to turnovers. They won the turnover battle and that's going to be a huge factor in the game. In order to win consistently, you've got to find ways to be on the positive side of that.
"I'm disappointed for our players, they put the effort in. We all have to do a better job and that starts with me."
Trailing by four points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Donovan Kaufman forced a fumble that Jayson Jones recovered on Auburn's 32-yard line.
"Our defense came up big," Harsin said. "They gave our offense an opportunity to answer. At the end of the day, the takeaways became too much."
Needing a touchdown to take the lead, Tank Bigsby rushed for 23 yards across midfield for a promising start to a potential game-winning drive.
Jarquez Hunter then picked up a first down at LSU's 35, but the Tigers would get no closer.
LSU's Greg Brooks Jr. made the Bengal Tigers' fourth takeaway, intercepting Ashford's pass and returning it 30 yards to Auburn's 45. LSU (4-1, 2-0) picked up a first down and ran out the clock.
Leading 17-14 at the half, Auburn forced a three-and-out to start the second half, but LSU stopped the Tigers on fourth down and drove 63 yards on seven plays to take a 21-17 lead on John Emery Jr.'s 20-yard run with 3:32 left in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Auburn drove 65 yards to LSU's 5-yard line, but on second-and-goal from the 10, LSU intercepted Koy Moore's reverse pass, Auburn's second turnover. A muffed punt with 5:31 left in the game accounted for Auburn's third turnover.
Auburn built a 17-0 first-half lead with Ashford throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
"Our fans were great tonight," Harsin said. "The energy was great, the crowd was phenomenal. I appreciate that and our players do as well."
The Tigers scored on the opening drive by twice converting on third down, first with Ashford finding Moore for 10 yards on third-and-6, then scrambling and hitting Ja'Varrius Johnson for a 53-yard touchdown to put Auburn up 7-0 in the first two minutes.
Late in the opening quarter, LSU's punt pinned Auburn at its 1-yard line but the Tigers drove 99 yards on six plays to take a 14-0 lead.
Ashford escaped LSU's pass rush and threw to Jarquez Hunter, who raced 40 yards after the catch for a 61-yard gain.
On the next play, freshman Camden Brown leaped in the end zone to snag Ashford's pass for his first career touchdown. Ashford finished with 337 yards and two TDs, completing 19-of-38 passes.
"We wanted to throw the ball and balance it out," Harsin said. "Robby made some really good throws. He scrambled, made some big plays."
Auburn extended its lead to 17-0 on Anders Carlson's 29-yard field goal with 9:38 remaining in the first half.
LSU scored a defensive touchdown midway through the second quarter when Jay Ward recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards to trim Auburn's lead to 17-7.
The Bengal Tigers made it 17-14 with 15 seconds left in the half when quarterback Jayden Daniels scored on a 1-yard run to cap an 11-play, 77-yard drive.
Wesley Steiner led Auburn's defense with a career-high 11 tackles. The Tigers held LSU to 270 yards of total offense, including 10-for-26 passing for 85 yards. Colby Wooden, Marcus Bragg and Derick Hall each recorded sacks. Hall and Wooden each made two of Auburn's eight tackles for loss.
After five consecutive home games, Auburn (3-2, 1-1) hits the road next week to play at top-ranked Georgia at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Postgame Notes>> Captains: Derick Hall, Owen Pappoe, John Samuel Shenker, Zion Puckett
>> Coin Toss: LSU wins the toss and defers; Auburn will receive
>> Eagle Flight: Independence from section 46
>> Attendance: 87,451 (capacity)
TEAM NOTES
>> First-time starters for Auburn: none
>> Auburn has scored in 122 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history.
>> Auburn's defense has allowed only 25 first-quarter touchdowns in its last 71 games.
>> Auburn's 99-yard drive in the second quarter was its first since the 2020 LSU game; it was Auburn's eighth 99-yard drive since 1996. Last year's long drive was 98 yards against Georgia State.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: OFFENSE
>> Robby Ashford's 53-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Varrius Johnson was Johnson's first score of the season and third career TD catch.
>> Camden Brown scored his first touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Ashford; it was Ashford's third TD pass of the season.
>> Jarquez Hunter's 61-yard reception from Ashford in the second quarter was a career-long completion for both.
>> Tank Bigsby now has 2,259 career rushing yards, to rank 15th all-time at Auburn, passing Cameron Artis-Payne (2,218 from 2013-14); next are James Joseph (2,264 from 1986-90), Michael Dyer (2,335 from 2010-11).
>> John Samuel Shenker is 2nd in career tight end receptions (60), passing Fred Baxter (57 from 1990-92), Robert Johnson (57 from 2002), Walter Reeves (58 from 1986-89) and Philip Lutzenkirchen (59 from 2009-12). The career recordholder is Cooper Wallace (63 catches from 2002-05).
>> Shenker is 4th in tight end career receiving yardage (718); next is Robert Johnson (741 from 2000-02).
>> Omari Kelly's 25-yard reception from Ashford was a career long for Kelly.
>> Tyler Fromm's 35-yard reception was a career long.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: DEFENSE
>> Wesley Steiner's 11 tackles are a career high.
>> Colby Wooden's sack was his 2nd of the season and 11th of his career; he now has 23.0 career TFL.
>> Derick Hall's sack was his 4th of the season; he has 16.5 sacks for his career and 24.5 career TFL.
>> Marcus Bragg recorded his first sack at Auburn.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: SPECIAL TEAMS
>> Anders Carlson is now second in Auburn career scoring with 377 points; the career leader is Daniel Carlson with 480 points from 2014-17.
>> Carlson ranks second at Auburn in career field goals made with 72; Daniel Carlson is the career leader with 92.
>> Carlson is third in career PAT made at Auburn with 164, passing John Vaughn (162 from 2003-06); next is Wes Byrum (183 from 2007-10).
>> Carlson (377) is now 7th among SEC career scoring leaders; next is Leigh Tiffin, Alabama (385 from 2006-09).
>> Carlson (72) is tied for 8th among SEC career leaders in field goals made, tied with Austin MacGinnis, Kentucky (72 from 2014-17) and Parker White, South Carolina (72 from 2017-21) and passing Fuad Reveiz, Tennessee (71 from 1981-84) and Seth Small, Texas A&M (71 from 2018-21); next is Blair Walsh, Georgia (76 from 2008-11).